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Vieira: Ruud is cowardly cheat

Van Nistelrooy may sue over slurs

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY is considering legal action after being branded “a cheat and a coward”, “deceitful” and “a nasty piece of work” in Patrick Vieira’s autobiography, writes Jonathan Northcroft. The book, which will be published later this month, features an attack on the Manchester United striker of quite extraordinary venom, in which he is also called “a son of a bitch” .

Vieira’s complaints about the Dutchman stem from a number of incidents involving the player in Manchester United versus Arsenal games over recent years and Vieira suggests that resentment towards Van Nistelrooy is prevalent within Highbury. Forget Jose Mourinho and Arsène Wenger: the most poisonous relationship in English football is between the Dutch striker and the north London club.

Last season, Wenger was disciplined by the Football Association after saying of Van Nistelrooy, who has clashed with Ashley Cole, Martin Keown and others as well as Vieira in Arsenal-United fixtures: